The Giants took over Utilityman Luke Williams from the Phillies in exchange for the minor league third baseman Will Toffey and money considerations. Both teams have announced the swap. To create a 40-man roster, the Giants placed southpaws Matthew Boyd on the 60-day injured list.
Williams was selected for action by Philadelphia earlier this week when the Nick Castellanos Signing became official. After six seasons in the Phils’ farm system and a brief stint in the Australian Baseball League, Williams made his MLB debut in 2021, appearing in 58 games. While Williams hit just .245/.315/.316 in 108 plate appearances, he made a name for himself with his versatility, making multiple appearances in every position except catcher and pitcher.
Williams began his career as a third baseman but has moved all over the diamond more recently, spending the majority of his brief big league career as a fielder. Giants manager Gab Kapler Williams is certainly known from Kapler’s previous job as captain of the Phillies, and San Francisco has frequently sought multi-position players in recent years. Williams is also a right-hander, which could give him an opportunity to play time considering how the Giants’ planned outfield start (Mike Jastrzemski, LaMonte Wade Jr., and Joc Pederson) are all left-handed.
Toffey has a similar resume to Williams in that Toffey is also a third baseman who has begun to branch out to other positions. In the 2021 season, Toffey played both corner positions in outfield, first base and second base while playing with the Mets’ Double-A affiliate and the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate. San Francisco acquired 27-year-old Toffey from the Mets last July, left-handed Anthony Banda in return, back to New York.
Boyd signed a one-year deal with the Giants last week, and the former Tigers left-hander is guaranteed to make $5.2 million in 2022. First, however, Boyd must fully recover from his flexor tendon surgery last September. The 60-day IL internship was expected as Boyd wasn’t expected to be ready until early June.